dshnarw Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 THAT is beautiful!!! So Zen. I like it just the way it is, but, knowing how these things go, are you planning any additions? --Diane Nothing in the immediate future, until I get the temp down from 72* and let the bacterial populations take hold. Eventually, I'd love to cover the big rocks on the right with strawberry nems, if I can ever get hold of any. Link to comment
dshnarw Posted February 6, 2008 Author Share Posted February 6, 2008 coldwater tank redirect: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=145801 Link to comment
dshnarw Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 ok, real update: Since adding the two huge monti colonies, and another decent-sized chunk to keep the Heteractis away from the less hardy corals, along with the clam, my calcium and alkalinity is going down like crazy. I'm dosing about 10 mils each of Part A and B a day to keep up. But growth has exploded in the past week, from nearly everything in the tank - including the Neomeris, which has nearly doubled the number of stalks it has put out, and the Caulerpa, which has taken hold and putting runners out everywhere First, the new FTS, including the lights: I added the isolation unit to trap minis that I'd caught on the move for easier propagation. I think I have 6 trapped right now. The clam has grown quite a bit. The second shot shows the new growth in the last week (it had no white growth areas when I first got it, and didn't show any signs of growing until last week): Sargassum has been growing nicely...but has an aiptasia stuck in it . Will have to kill soon. All sorts of coralline has started populating the leaves. Monti wall: Side shots from my chair: Link to comment
Needreefunds Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 WOW Beautiful shots!! Love this tank too!! ( BTW, still sore from the fender bender?? That was very kind of you to let her go and not make a big deal out of it IMO ) Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Your montis are crazy. That purple one especially. If I remember correctly you have another huge colony as well don't you. A red or orange? Bill Link to comment
dshnarw Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 WOW Beautiful shots!! Love this tank too!! ( BTW, still sore from the fender bender?? That was very kind of you to let her go and not make a big deal out of it IMO ) Thanks It was a little uncomfortable sleeping that night, but no soreness since. It wasn't really worth getting upset over. Your montis are crazy. That purple one especially. If I remember correctly you have another huge colony as well don't you. A red or orange? Bill yeah, orange. It's hiding behind the purple. You can see it in the FTS at right center (with the HUGE vermetid making snot). The purple one has grown probably a half inch in some places in less than 2 weeks. It completely shaded out a Cyphastrea in the sand under it that I had to move out, and I'll have to move the Faviid in the next week or so. Link to comment
Professor Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 and the Caulerpa, which has taken hold and putting runners out everywhere Be afraid, be very afraid! Tank is looking great. I love how it is progressing. Keep the pics coming! Between you and Yardboy I think you have inspired me to do a brackish Chesapeake Bay temperate biotope since I have the Bay on one side of me and the Patuxent River on the other. It probably won't be very pretty, but it should be very interesting. Time to get researching and then figure out where all my dive gear is! -Prof Link to comment
hecsrt-4 Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Wow nice shots especially the one of your clam. Link to comment
hecsrt-4 Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 This is a very cool thread. Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 This is such a cool tank, I wish I could see it in person. Is it what you were hoping it would be when it was still in the planning stages? Link to comment
dshnarw Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 Be afraid, be very afraid! Tank is looking great. I love how it is progressing. Keep the pics coming! Between you and Yardboy I think you have inspired me to do a brackish Chesapeake Bay temperate biotope since I have the Bay on one side of me and the Patuxent River on the other. It probably won't be very pretty, but it should be very interesting. Time to get researching and then figure out where all my dive gear is! -Prof Trust me, I'm shaking in my boots when I watch it. The runners are in the 4-6" range on a couple pieces, and by next week I'll have to start trimming parts back to keep it out of the rockwork. If I could keep it contained, I would like to make it a background behind the rocks to give the tank an extra layer of depth. But I'm not sure how to keep it contained in that inch or so of space. GO FOR IT!!! I wouldn't mind seeing that tank at all...and it would be very interesting to see what species you could come up with for it. Wow nice shots especially the one of your clam. This is a very cool thread. Thanks This is such a cool tank, I wish I could see it in person. Is it what you were hoping it would be when it was still in the planning stages? Thanks Weet! If you ever drive up this way for some reason, lmk and I'll even bake some cookies It's different than I'd originally pictured it, but not too far off. Once the macroalgaes and seagrass take over a bit, I think it'll look..."right". From the technical aspect, the lighting upgrade and finishing the cabinetry would be nice, and I still want to tinker with the closed loop some to get better flow to a couple areas. The only thing I'd definitely do over completely would be using a larger sump to make better use of the space below the tank. So overall, I'm quite happy with what it's turned into thus far. Link to comment
jeremai Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Is that Neomeris? I've never seen it grow in that form before. Purdy. Link to comment
dshnarw Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 Is that Neomeris? I've never seen it grow in that form before. Purdy. yep - behind the crazy bladed Caulerpa in the next to last pic. I like it (mini carpets seem to as well...there's three or four congregated in that patch now. Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Where did you pick up such large monti colonies? Were those grown out from frags or purchased at that size? That's very impressive. This tank is turning out to be awesome. Bill Link to comment
Professor Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Trust me, I'm shaking in my boots when I watch it. The runners are in the 4-6" range on a couple pieces, and by next week I'll have to start trimming parts back to keep it out of the rockwork. If I could keep it contained, I would like to make it a background behind the rocks to give the tank an extra layer of depth. But I'm not sure how to keep it contained in that inch or so of space. GO FOR IT!!! I wouldn't mind seeing that tank at all...and it would be very interesting to see what species you could come up with for it. In my tank the runners actually shot under the rockwork and did just that. I left a couple of pieces back there when I pruned out your bunch to see what would happen. If it grows all the way in it would definately add visual appeal and depth. In a couple of places I still had to pull runners off the rocks though. I think the Bay Biotope will have to wait until late spring to get started. I'm pretty hard core, but I am not diving in the winter, even though the visability is better (though it was 75 bloody degrees today!). I have seen several varieties of pipefish and some interesting (although plain looking) anemones while snorkeling. I have seen one species of crab around the nems pretty regularly so I have to wonder if there is some commensual/symbiotic relationship. Occasionally one can find seahorses as well. I am going to have to hit the books and check into collecting laws. You should come down this summer on the weekend and we can go collecting (i.e., get sunburned, covered with jellyfish stings and have our feet sliced up from walking on barnacles and oyster shells) and then drink some beer and pound down a bushel of crabs. Good times! -Prof Link to comment
arwndsh Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Where did you pick up such large monti colonies? Were those grown out from frags or purchased at that size? That's very impressive. This tank is turning out to be awesome. Bill We got them from a lfs here in KY they have had the two colonies for quite a long time before we bought them. You should come down this summer on the weekend and we can go collecting (i.e., get sunburned, covered with jellyfish stings and have our feet sliced up from walking on barnacles and oyster shells) and then drink some beer and pound down a bushel of crabs. Good times! -Prof Only if i get to come too please Daniel and I will be married by then. Link to comment
Professor Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 We got them from a lfs here in KY they have had the two colonies for quite a long time before we bought them. Only if i get to come too please Daniel and I will be married by then. The more the merrier! -Prof *edit: I can't believe I just used a group hug smiley. Link to comment
dshnarw Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 Where did you pick up such large monti colonies? Were those grown out from frags or purchased at that size? That's very impressive. This tank is turning out to be awesome. Bill Those two colonies are a bit of a long story. They were at an LFS in Kentucky that I frequented, and sat around for about a year in the same tank. Any time someone wanted a piece of it, they'd just snap off whatever had encrusted over the glass at the bottom of the tank. When I moved up here, I got a couple small frags of each, but they didn't make the trip. So over Christmas break, I made the rounds of the old stores, and whatcha know - they're still there. Seeing that as a "calling", I bought both of them (for a darned cheap price for their size) and drove them back to Maryland with me. When I bought them, they were about the same size as in the pics, but I chopped off all the plates and made about 20 frags (which are actually in the biotope, behind the rockwork). Since chopping them at the beginning of January, they've grown back to nearly the size they were in January. In my tank the runners actually shot under the rockwork and did just that. I left a couple of pieces back there when I pruned out your bunch to see what would happen. If it grows all the way in it would definately add visual appeal and depth. In a couple of places I still had to pull runners off the rocks though. I think the Bay Biotope will have to wait until late spring to get started. I'm pretty hard core, but I am not diving in the winter, even though the visability is better (though it was 75 bloody degrees today!). I have seen several varieties of pipefish and some interesting (although plain looking) anemones while snorkeling. I have seen one species of crab around the nems pretty regularly so I have to wonder if there is some commensual/symbiotic relationship. Occasionally one can find seahorses as well. I am going to have to hit the books and check into collecting laws. You should come down this summer on the weekend and we can go collecting (i.e., get sunburned, covered with jellyfish stings and have our feet sliced up from walking on barnacles and oyster shells) and then drink some beer and pound down a bushel of crabs. Good times! -Prof My male clown has started hosting the Caulerpa in the last week or so. He runs and hides in it when the female comes by to check him out. (Clarkii love is soooo abusive...my female is a horrible husband beater) Winter would be a bit cold...don't blame you for waiting. But the wait is half the excitement. I'll have to check into the species around here, maybe I could get a couple local species for the coldwater tank as well. You just say the word, I'll be down there...well, assuming I'm not getting married/honeymooning Wouldn't pass up the opportunity for a collecting trip full of pain Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 So those aren't plating or they are? They appear to be encrusting but not like an undata. More of that fuzzy polyp appearance like a superman/rainbow/pokerstar. How have the frags fared? Bill Link to comment
pheallox Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Nothing in the immediate future, until I get the temp down from 72* and let the bacterial populations take hold. Eventually, I'd love to cover the big rocks on the right with strawberry nems, if I can ever get hold of any. are you talking about these....nems Link to comment
dshnarw Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 So those aren't plating or they are? They appear to be encrusting but not like an undata. More of that fuzzy polyp appearance like a superman/rainbow/pokerstar. How have the frags fared? Bill The orange one is definitely not plating, and I'm fairly certain it's the same as those three...which I suppose makes it a danae in terms of trade species, but in reality is probably a verrucosa. The purple one is a very thick plating species (in fact, the underside of that entire thing has only a single shell under it - it's just a big cavern, and hasn't grown onto any rock the LFS or I have ever put it on - it didn't even encrust on the glass at the LFS, just plated on top of it. I'm not sure of the species on it yet. The frags have done well. They still look like rectangles for the most part, but the edges are encrusted to the point where all the cut edges are fairly well populated with polyps, but they haven't shown the bright purply-blue edges that the main colony has yet. The first couple should be ready to go out to the person I got for the V-day swap, and I'm hoping the edges will color up by then. are you talking about these....nems yep...those would be the ones. Link to comment
varanus37 Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Lucky them! That's very kewl about the purple monti. Never seen one quite like that. I think you may be right about the orange as well now that I look at your pics a little more closely. Those 'nems will really stand out in the coldwater tank. Should go well with the ones you already have. Bill Link to comment
PurpleUP Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 Fabulous Tank. Looks quite natural. Link to comment
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